A second teenager has died following a double shooting outside The Mall in Columbia, authorities announced on Saturday, March 1.
According to the Howard County Police Department, 15-year-old Blake McCray succumbed to his injuries after being critically wounded in the February 22 shooting.
Officers initially responded around 5:52 p.m. to reports of shots fired near the Lidl parking lot and bus loop in the 10300 block of Little Patuxent Parkway.
Upon arrival, police discovered two teenage victims suffering from gunshot wounds:
16-year-old Michael Robertson was pronounced dead at the scene. Robertson was a student at Wilde Lake High School.
15-year-old Blake McCray was transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in critical condition, where he later died from his injuries.
Investigators determined that the shooting took place at the stairway leading from the bus stop near Barnes & Noble to the Lidl parking lot.
Officers recovered two spent 9mm shell casings at the top of the stairs.
Howard County police arrested 18-year-old Emmetson Zeah, charging him with murder in connection with the double shooting.
Following McCray’s death, authorities confirmed charges against Zeah will be upgraded.
Police also revealed that Zeah was already on home detention at the time of the incident.
He was previously arrested in December and charged with attempted murder for a separate shooting that occurred just blocks from the mall on February 14.
Zeah is scheduled for a court hearing later this month, where prosecutors are expected to address new and existing charges against him.
This remains an active investigation, and authorities urge anyone with information to contact Howard County Police.